Long-term effects of food safety incident: Example of Sanlu milk powder incident
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the long-term consumer response to food safety incidents. The Sanlu incident that broke out in 2008 offers us an example to discuss the long-term impact of the impact of the incident on consumption behavior. In 2018, a survey was distributed to consumers in selected regions. Probit and Tobit techniques are used to analyze the long-term effect of food safety incidents on consumers’ trust in various subjects through memory and cognition and how trust further influences their consumption behaviors. Results indicate that consumers showed the highest level of trust in the central government and the lowest in domestic salespeople and producers. The effects caused by trust in foreign producers were more significant than those caused by trust in authorities and the central government. Additionally, the middle-income group preferred to buy domestic milk powder the most. Little research has explored the long-term consumer response to food safety incidents. This study enriches the previous literature by exploring whether consumer choices can be influenced by trust and how.
References
1. Chammem N, Issaoui M, De Almeida AID, et al. Food Crises and Food Safety Incidents in European Union, United States, and Maghreb Area: Current Risk Communication Strategies and New Approaches. Journal of AOAC International. 2018; 101(4): 923-938. doi: 10.5740/jaoacint.17-0446
2. Ma H. Study on Traceability System Risk Management of the Food Supply Chain for Chinese Infant Accessory Food Industry [PhD thesis]. Tohoku University; 2021.
3. Hussain M, Dawson C. Economic Impact of Food Safety Outbreaks on Food Businesses. Foods. 2013; 2(4): 585-589. doi: 10.3390/foods2040585
4. Batu Z, Irkin R, Onyeaka H. Impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on food safety attitude, knowledge, and behavior. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research. 2024; 16: 101073. doi: 10.1016/j.jafr.2024.101073
5. Bbc News. China to punish baby milk makers. Available online: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacifific/7611732.stm (accessed on 14 September 2009).
6. Li S, Zhu C., Chen Q, et al. Consumer confidence and consumers’ preferences for infant formulas in China. Journal of integrative agriculture. 2019; 18(8): 1793-1803. doi: 10.1016/s2095-3119(19)62589-x
7. Yu Y. Marketing Strategy Research in China’s Dairy Industry: A Comparative Analysis between Mengniu and Yili. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences. 2024; 27: 384-391. doi: 10.54097/67j4fn90
8. Chyxx. Available online: http:// www.chyxx.com (accessed on 29 May 2023).
9. Wang RY, Si Z, Ng CN, et al. The transformation of trust in China’ s alternative food networks: disruption, reconstruction, and development. Ecology and Society. 2015; 20(2). doi: 10.5751/es-07536-200219
10. Umer H, Li Y. Positive and negative health events and trust. Empirica. 2024; 51(2): 459-479. doi: 10.1007/s10663-024-09605-3
11. Ding Y, Veeman MM, Adamowicz WL. The Impact of Generalized Trust and Trust in the Food System on Choices of a Functional GM Food. Agribusiness. 2011; 28(1): 54-66. doi: 10.1002/agr.20287
12. Chen W. The effects of different types of trust on consumer perceptions of food safety. China Agricultural Economic Review. 2013; 5(1): 43-65. doi: 10.1108/17561371311294757
13. Zhang L, Xu Y, Oosterveer P, et al. Consumer trust in different food provisioning schemes: evidence from Beijing, China. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2016; 134: 269-279. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.09.078
14. Stefani G, Cavicchi A, Romano D, et al. Determinants of intention to purchase chicken in Italy: the role of consumer risk perception and trust in different information sources. Agribusiness. 2008; 24(4): 523-537. doi: 10.1002/agr.20177
15. Ha TM, Shakur S, Pham Do KH. Linkages among food safety risk perception, trust and information: Evidence from Hanoi consumers. Food Control. 2020; 110: 106965. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2019.106965
16. Madilo FK, Kunadu AP, Tano‐Debrah K. Challenges with food safety adoption: A review. Journal of Food Safety. 2024; 44(1). doi: 10.1111/jfs.13099
17. Lin W, Ma B, Liang J, et al. Price response to government disclosure of food safety information in developing markets. Food Policy. 2024; 123: 102602. doi: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102602
18. Li S, Zhu C., Chen Q, et al. Consumer confidence and consumers’ preferences for infant formulas in China. Journal of integrative agriculture. 2019; 18(8): 1793-1803. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2095-3119(19)62589-x
19. Kim EJ, Kim SH, Lee YK. The effects of brand hearsay on brand trust and brand attitudes. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management. 2019; 28(7): 765-784. doi: 10.1080/19368623.2019.1567431
20. Van Der Does R, Kantorowicz J, Kuipers S, et al. Does Terrorism Dominate Citizens’ Hearts or Minds? The Relationship between Fear of Terrorism and Trust in Government. Terrorism and Political Violence. 2019; 33(6): 1276-1294. doi: 10.1080/09546553.2019.1608951
21. Tan S, Chen W. Building consumer trust in online food marketplaces: the role of WeChat marketing. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. 2021; 24(5): 845-862. doi: 10.22434/ifamr2020.0159
22. Huang S, Qu H, Wang X. Impact of green marketing on peer-to-peer accommodation platform users’ repurchase intention and positive word-of-mouth: mediation of trust and consumer identification. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 2023; 36(3): 691-712. doi: 10.1108/ijchm-10-2022-1300
23. Chyxx. Analysis of the number, scale, and milk production of dairy farms in China's dairy farming industry in 2018 [Figure] (Chinese). Available online: https://www.chyxx.com/industry/201912/823501.html (accessed on 30 December 2019).
24. Peyroux É, Raimond C, Viel V, et al (editors). Development and Territorial Restructuring in an Era of Global Change: Theories, Approaches and Future Research Perspectives. Wiley; 2023. doi: 10.1002/9781394230013
25. Pei X, Tandon A, Alldrick A, et al. The China melamine milk scandal and its implications for food safety regulation. Food Policy. 2011; 36(3): 412-420. doi: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2011.03.008
26. China Food Industry. Twenty-three products of the Sanlu group attained the qualification of exemption of inspection. Available online: http://www.foodqs.com/news/qyj004/20072885504.htm (accessed on 11 February 2009).
27. Soon-Sinclair JM, Nayak R, Manning L. An AcciMap approach to analyse the Chinese melamine milk scandal. British Food Journal. 2024; 126(6): 2604-2618. doi: 10.1108/bfj-02-2023-0161
28. The Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China. Shijiazhuang Intermediate People’s Court makes a first instance judgment on the Sanlu milk powder case (Chinese). Available online: http://www.gov.cn/jrzg/2009-01/22/content_1212802.htm (accessed on 22 January 2009).
29. The Year of 2008: Melamine contaminated milk powder even. Available online: http://www.nhc.gov.cn/wsb/pxwfb/200809/37786.shtml (accessed on 13 September 2008).
30. Xiu C, Klein KK. Melamine in milk products in China: Examining the factors that led to deliberate use of the contaminant. Food Policy. 2010; 35(5): 463-470. doi: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2010.05.001
31. The Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China. Available online: http://www.gov.cn/govweb/gzdt/2008-10/31/content_1137225.htm (accessed on 7 January 2011).
32. Time. Available online: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1882711,00.html (accessed on 21 September 2012).
33. New Beijing News. The national standard for dairy safety has been lowered to 25 years ago, and the Ministry of Health claims that it meets the national conditions. Available online: http://news.cntv.cn/china/20100714/100277.shtml (accessed on 14 July 2010).
34. Zhu X, Yuelu Huang I, Manning L. The role of media reporting in food safety governance in China: A dairy case study. Food Control. 2019; 96: 165-179. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2018.08.027
35. Liu A, Niyongira R. Chinese consumers food purchasing behaviors and awareness of food safety. Food Control. 2017; 79: 185-191. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2017.03.038
36. Raniya RF, Lubis PH, Kesuma TM. The Influence of Social Media Marketing and Store Atmosphere on Purchase Decision Mediated by Consumer Trust in Millennial Coffee Shops in Banda Aceh. International Journal of Business Management and Economic Review. 2023; 06(01): 144-155. doi: 10.35409/ijbmer.2023.3466
37. Sofi MA, Reshi IA, Sudha T. How Psychological Factors Influence Economic Decision-Making, and the Implications for Policy. Journal of Accounting Research, Utility Finance and Digital Assets. 2023; 1(4): 370-375. doi: 10.54443/jaruda.v1i4.57
38. De Jonge J, Van Trijp H, Jan Renes R, et al. Understanding Consumer Confidence in the Safety of Food: Its Two‐Dimensional Structure and Determinants. Risk Analysis. 2007; 27(3): 729-740. doi: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2007.00917.x
39. Heller J, Chylinski M, de Ruyter K, et al. Let Me Imagine That for You: Transforming the Retail Frontline Through Augmenting Customer Mental Imagery Ability. Journal of Retailing. 2019; 95(2): 94-114. doi: 10.1016/j.jretai.2019.03.005
40. Flacandji M, Krey N. Remembering shopping experiences: The Shopping Experience Memory Scale. Journal of Business Research. 2020; 107: 279-289. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.10.039
41. Xiong Y, Wang L. Policy cognition of potential consumers of new energy vehicles and its sensitivity to purchase willingness. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020; 261: 121032. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121032
42. Ajzen I, Schmidt P. Changing Behavior Using the Theory of Planned Behavior. In: Hagger MS, Cameron LD, Hamilton K, et al. (editors). The Handbook of Behavior Change. Cambridge University Press; 2020. pp. 17-31. doi: 10.1017/9781108677318.002
43. Wang GY, Yueh HP. Optimistic Bias, Food Safety Cognition, and Consumer Behavior of College Students in Taiwan and Mainland China. Foods. 2020; 9(11): 1588. doi: 10.3390/foods9111588
44. Szypula J, Ahern A, Cheke L. The role of memory ability, depth and mode of recall in the impact of memory on later consumption. Appetite. 2020; 149: 104628. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2020.104628
45. Duralia O. Food Consumption Behaviour-Influencing Factors and Trends. Studies in Business and Economics. 2023; 18(2): 109-123. doi: 10.2478/sbe-2023-0027
46. Zhou L, Turvey CG, Hu W, et al. Fear and trust: How risk perceptions of avian influenza affect Chinese consumers’ demand for chicken. China Economic Review. 2016; 40: 91-104. doi: 10.1016/j.chieco.2016.06.003
47. Chu M, Anders S, Deng Q, et al. The future of sustainable food consumption in China. Food and Energy Security. 2022; 12(2). doi: 10.1002/fes3.405
48. Qiao G, Guo T, Klein KK. Melamine and other food safety and health scares in China: Comparing households with and without young children. Food Control. 2012; 26(2): 378-386. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2012.01.045
49. Kendall H, Naughton P, Kuznesof S, et al. Food fraud and the perceived integrity of European food imports into China. PLOS ONE. 2018; 13(5): e0195817. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195817
50. China Agricultural Information Network. Available online: http://www.agri.cn/zx/jjps/201908 (accessed on 17 August 2019).
51. Baidu. Annual Summary: Summary and Analysis of Changes in Chinese Milk Powder Prices in 2021 (Chinese). Available online: https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1721224289312302547&wfr=spider&for=pc (accessed on 7 January 2022).
52. Hsu JL, Nien H. Who are ethnocentric? Examining consumer ethnocentrism in Chinese societies. Journal of Consumer Behaviour. 2008; 7(6): 436-447. doi: 10.1002/cb.262
53. Poston DL Jr. Son Preference and Fertility in China. Journal of Biosocial Science. 2002; 34(3): 333-347. doi: 10.1017/s0021932002003334
54. Qi L, Kanaya S. The concavity of the value function of the extended Barro–Becker model. Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control. 2010; 34(3): 314-329. doi: 10.1016/j.jedc.2009.09.008
55. Dong X, Li Z. Food safety issues in China: a case study of the dairy sector. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 2015; 96(1): 346-352. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.7107
56. Yin S, Chen M, Chen Y, et al. Consumer trust in organic milk of different brands: the role of Chinese organic label. British Food Journal. 2016; 118(7): 1769-1782. doi: 10.1108/bfj-11-2015-0449
57. Bai J, Zhang C, Jiang J. The role of certificate issuer on consumers’ willingness‐to‐pay for milk traceability in China. Agricultural Economics. 2013; 44(4-5): 537-544. doi: 10.1111/agec.12037
Copyright (c) 2024 Qing Yang, Li Zhou, Lei Lei
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Submit a Paper
